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Mr. BURCHETT. Madam Speaker, I recognize and congratulate my dear friend and Blount County Sheriff James ``Jimbo'' Berrong on being named Tennessee's Sheriff of the Year. It was much deserved.
Jimbo has served for over 30 years, and he has done a great job keeping our constituents safe. He was appointed in 1989 and has been elected every term since 1990.
He is known for being a dedicated leader with a proactive approach in protecting the folks in Blount County. He knows his people and their problems, and he has taken great steps to address everything he can, from substance abuse to church safety to increasing the number of officers we have in our schools.
He started one of the first school resource officer programs as well as a senior outreach program. Sheriff Berrong also runs the top agency in the State for dealing with sex offenders and human trafficking long before it made the news.
I thank the sheriff for being my dear friend. He has always been good to me and my girls, and that means the world to me. I can't thank him enough, and I can't think of anyone I would rather have run the Blount County Sheriff's Office. His work does not go unnoticed. It has always been appreciated by me and my family. I know the folks of Blount County love him.
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